


Magic and Accidents

by hayspecks



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Humour, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-13
Updated: 2012-08-13
Packaged: 2017-11-12 01:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/485212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hayspecks/pseuds/hayspecks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin accidentally turns himself into an eagle, Gaius isn’t impressed and Arthur knows more than it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Magic and Accidents

Day 0

It happened one fine day.

There was nothing special about it; in fact, it was like any other of the days they didn’t fight monsters and evil magicians. The sun was shining, birds were singing, except Merlin wasn’t in the mood – okay, the correct word would be brooding. The reason would be kind of obvious if you thought of a certain prince. And that also was a common occurrence of late.

Merlin sat by the table, the big spell book open in front of him, muttering the new spells as he tried to remember them for later use. Gaius was somewhere on the other side of the room, brewing a potion for his patients and keeping one eye on Merlin, so he wouldn’t do anything stupid.

But he didn’t see it coming, what happened next. But he should have. Really, really should have.

Apparently, Merlin had found a spell that intrigued him more than the rest, and he muttered it aloud, gesturing with his right hand. From the gesture alone Gaius saw that it would go wrong, because there were no spells in the book that required such silly gestures but he could do nothing to stop it because –

PUFF.

White smoke erupted from the centre of the room, and when it settled, there was only an eagle standing on the book, blinking, and no sign of Merlin.

It took Gaius about two seconds to put two and two together and he sighed.

“Oh, Merlin, what have you done this time?” Gaius approached the bird but it shied away from his touch – wide-eyed and suspicious - and started to flap his wings like crazy. “Okay, calm down. This possibly is only temporary.”

The eagle – Merlin – glared at him, Gaius could swear, even though he had been convinced that birds couldn’t do that. He held his hands up in defeat and the eagle ruffled his feathers.

Right then Arthur walked through the open door in all his princely glory – in breeches, his favourite red shirt and with a sword fastened to his waist. Gaius turned to him, eyes slightly wide, and hoped the prince hadn’t seen the transformation, or at least wouldn’t pay much attention to the strange occupant on the table. He was wrong, though.

The moment Arthur stopped in front of the table he fixed his eyes on the eagle and declared loudly and confidently, “I know that’s Merlin.”

Gaius refrained from cursing and the bird flapped his wings as if terrified, trying to get away, yet didn’t know how to, exactly. Gaius doubted that Merlin knew how to use the wings for flying. Really.

“Sire, that’s not possible. Merlin is out – out to collect herbs for my potions.” Gaius gestured at the pot he had been working on since early morning.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at his lies, apparently, not impressed. “Don’t lie, Gaius, I saw it happen, and I won’t tell my father, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“I, sire, don’t think that you’ve realized –”

“No, Gaius, I know what it means perfectly well. Do you seriously think that I haven’t noticed? Merlin isn’t exactly subtle.”

“There I agree with you, sire.”

Right then Merlin made himself known by screeching loudly. It startled both men, who turned to the bird in bewilderment. Merlin glared at them both, making his point across loud and clear.

“Did he just –” Arthur glanced at Gaius for an answer.

“I’m sure that he did, sire.”

Arthur turned to Merlin. “Annoying even when you’re a bird; I should’ve known, Merlin. Either way, I’m taking you with me until we – I mean, Gaius figures out how to undo this spell.”

“I don’t that’s a good idea, sire,” Gaius advised but Arthur wasn’t listening to him. He reached for the bird but it flopped on the floor and started to run away, well, if the weird walk-jump gait could be called running, anyway.

“He’s going to get away, sire.” Gaius pointed at Merlin who was already close to the door.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Arthur ran after him, arms outstretched. “Hey, I said I don’t care. Where the heck do you think you’re going, stupid bird?”

Gaius sighted to himself. This was going to be a long day. He followed them both outside in case one of them did something incredibly stupid, besides the obvious.

 

Day 1

Merlin sulked in the corner of Arthur’s room, perched on the large wooden closet. How he got up there was a mystery to him as well as Arthur and now he didn’t know how to get down. Except it should be obvious, yet Merlin didn’t know how to use the wings, they were huge and he felt awkward and uncomfortable using them.

“Hey, stop sulking and get down here. I’ve lunch for you,” Arthur called, a tray full of freshly baked beef and potatoes and grapes in his hands. Merlin loved grapes. Apparently, Arthur knew that as well judging from his smirk.

Merlin flapped with his wings furiously in a pathetic attempt to fly. He only managed to bruise the feathers, his pride and annoy Arthur.

“Oh, stop flapping. I think you have to jump of the closet to do the trick,” Arthur suggested, as he put the tray down and sat at the end of the table.

Merlin moved to the edge of the closet and looked down. From his, mind you, bird’s standards it looked bloody high from where he was.

An amused smile stretched on Arthur’s face as he watched the bird’s antics. Merlin wasn’t amused to say the least and so he made a decision he was fairly certain he’ll regret a moment later.

He flew off the closet the wings stretched, and tried to flap them as he flew. It didn’t help much, though. His landing was less than graceful to say the least. He aimed for the bed but missed it by a mile, getting caught in the bed curtains and falling in a heap on the hard floor.

Before he could recover from the shock of meeting the floor left wing first, Arthur was by his side, muttering, “Stupid bird, you could’ve gotten yourself seriously injured.”

Merlin fixed him with his yellow-eyed glare, trying to convey all his frustration – you suggested it, you prat – through one look. Arthur scoffed, as he tried to pick him up in his arms. Merlin slapped him across the chest with his wing, voicing his protest at such handling even when he was just a bird now.

“Ow, stop fighting me, Merlin. I’m just trying to help.” Merlin wanted to raise an eyebrow and a witty answer was at the tip of his tongue but he remembered – well, fuck.

Arthur picked him up with no further ceremonies and put him on the table in front of the tray of food. Merlin felt his mouth water at the sight of it but he found one huge problem. He had a beak, two large wings and feet with long nails that scratched the wooden surface, none of which he had ever used for eating.

This was going to be a long lunch. Merlin just knew.

And Arthur looked amused. Again.

 

Day 2

The following day after being gone for a few hours, Arthur returned to his chamber holding a huge book. Now, having super sharp eye sight, Merlin knew exactly which book it was.

He screeched as a way of protest.

Arthur jumped, and then glared at him. "Shh, no one saw me. Be quiet, okay? Soon your loud squawking is going to attract a lot of unwanted attention if you keep it up."

He walked right up to his bed, further ignoring Merlin who stood in the middle of the room looking really confused for a second or two. Then he followed Arthur.

Arthur lied down on his stomach on the bed, the book now open in front of him at a random page. "Now let's see. What's here? Gaius told me to look for spells or potions under the category of animal transformation. Hmm..."

Merlin hopped on the bed, barely avoiding overbalancing and falling on the floor on his back. Arthur chuckled, clearly amused.

It wasn’t funny, goddamnit. Merlin ruffled his feathers, arranged his wings so they fit by his side and chose his next steps slowly so he wouldn’t fall because the bed was nothing like the hard floor.

Only when Merlin stood by Arthur’s right shoulder, waiting expectedly, Arthur started to turn the pages carefully. About half way through Arthur started to comment on the spells out loud.

"This is ridiculous. Who'd want to turn their brother into a swan? Why there is such a spell in the first place?" Arthur scoffed and turned another page. “And who’d need a potion to enchant their beloved? And give a tail to what? What’s with the tail? Sorcerers are a ridiculous bunch.”

Merlin hit him with his wing, trying his best to look threatening. “It’s true. You know it. Only with an exception of you, because you save my life all the time and it’s a really sensible if not unnecessary thing that distinguishes you from anyone else of your kind.”

Merlin didn’t know whenever to feel happy or insulted in the place of other sensible sorcerers that didn’t try to come up with original and often crazy ways how to kill, possess or torture the prince.

In the end, he settled for another hit with his wing this time lighter that also didn’t send him sprawled on the bed. The message was loud and clear though – prat.

And Arthur answered in kind, “Idiot.”

 

Day 3

On the third day, Merlin almost got discovered while Arthur was away. He hid under Arthur’s bed to avoid it and witnessed how a pretty young girl put something in Arthur’s drink. Whatever it was nothing good could come out of it.

He waited until she was gone and hopped towards the table and then awkwardly, with little help of his wings managed to get on the chair. However, when he was about to jump on the table, someone charged in the room and took him by surprise. It turned out to be just Arthur and Merlin told his beating heart to calm the fuck down.

“I’m thirsty and starving and oh God, yes, wine. That will fit perfectly,” Arthur’s voice came from above the table and Merlin could do nothing than flail around and unsuccessfully try to jump on the table, listening how Arthur gulped down most of the wine and feeling the terror of what might happen fill him.

He felt so fucking useless in this bird form. He couldn’t even do the simplest of spells let alone jump on a fucking table to stop Arthur drinking what very possibly was a poisoned drink. He cursed himself and the stupid wings and this situation all together.

In the short silence between the moment when Arthur put the goblet down and Merlin jumped on the floor, no thud followed, nothing in fact happened. Until Arthur started to talk, that is.

“Now I really fucking need a bath. I bet I stink worse than a whole army together. The knights have really gotten much better over the past months and it’s bloody frustrating that I can’t beat them so easily and show off as I did just a few months ago. It is, of course, a good thing but where else can I show off my strength if not during training so to impress everyone...”

As Arthur rambled on, Merlin learned that Arthur was given some sort of serum that made him reveal things that he wouldn’t usually tell. Merlin was quite sure when the effect will wear off he’ll be embarrassed about the things he revealed.

But Merlin couldn’t stop himself from listening and storing the information away for later use.

(“I’d love if someone would just massage my back sometimes, loosen the tension in me because goddammit I’d need that,” Arthur said as he was washing himself in the bath.

“Why couldn’t I have one day off my duties, is it that hard to arrange such thing?”

“I’d love breakfast in bed, especially when it is delivered by you, Merlin.”)

Arthur fell silent only sometime after he had dressed himself ready for bed and blew the candles out to enable the darkness in the room. But sleep didn’t come to Merlin for a long time, his mind reeling from the newfound information about Arthur.

 

Day 4

Gaius visited Arthur’s chamber some time after the sunrise, before Arthur could leave for the day. Not that he was going to go anywhere, because – hello, his inability to keep anything to himself would only land him in a whole lot of troubles.

When Gaius noticed Merlin, standing on the table and looking bored, he broke out in a smile. “I’ve wonderful news, Merlin. I found a cure to your predicament.”

Oh thank God, Merlin thought and flapped with his wings to express his gratitude.

“I’ll bring it to you later, when the potion will be ready. There’s still one more thing I should add to it.” Gaius explained.

He was about to leave when Arthur spoke up, “Hello, I’m here too, not that I care if you talk to me or not at the moment. But you know I’m eating breakfast and you could join. Oops, I meant – well, exactly what I said because you always just stand there and just look. No, forget it. Actually, I’d rather have Merlin eating breakfast with me. And don’t look at me with that raised eyebrow, it’s freaking me out, and before you can ask – yes, I drank something strange and I can’t shut up; I’m saying everything that comes to mind. Damn.” Arthur quickly shoved a piece of bread in his mouth to just make himself shut up and almost choked on it.

“I see, sire. I should go and search for a cure. Menawhile, I’d advise you to not leave the room. I’ll inform the King you don’t feel well,” Gaius said to Arthur, who simply nodded in answer. “As for you, Merlin, I’ll bring the cure later.”

Merlin nodded calmly and Arthur couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer. “Aren’t you excited? I definitely am because then I won’t have to look at you as a bird and think this is seriously fucked up. I can’t wait for you to finally be yourself so I can fucking tell you how much I love you and don’t care that you are magic – and oh God, what did I just say? Just shut up, shut up, shut the hell up,” Arthur shouted at himself, standing up abruptly, threw his arms up in defeat and stomped out of the chamber. Before Arthur left, Merlin noticed a rosy colour decorating his cheeks.

An awkward silence followed. Gaius cleared his throat and then added before leaving, “I’ll go and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” Which was a good plan and Merlin heartily approved of it, though he’d have liked to be the one to go after him.

Left alone, Merlin sighed, replaying the last conversation in his head – or rather, the part where Arthur ranted, sort of.

Whatever the girl had put in his drink had also released Arthur’s inner part for dramatics, wonderful, and also – wait, what? In love with him?

Merlin almost fell off the table in shock.

 

Day 5

By the next morning Arthur was cured of his curse of thinking out loud and was now deliberately avoiding Merlin by not coming back even when the practice with knights was over. It was effective, because Merlin couldn’t go anywhere and demand him to stop being stupid, but he also understood Arthur’s wish to get away from him because he thought his feelings weren’t returned. If Merlin were himself he’d be ready to shout from rooftops that, damn they were. Returned, that is.

Being a bird really sucked sometimes.

It was a good thing that Gaius arrived with a vial of the cure some-time in the afternoon, apologizing for the delay, and Merlin turned back to a human, living and breathing and half-naked as it turned out. He didn’t know where his shirt had gone and he really didn’t want to find out, so he borrowed one of Arthur’s. He figured Arthur wouldn’t mind all that much.

He waited for Arthur in his chamber for most of the day in hopes of meeting Arthur and talking to him but he felt too sleepy and the bed was so comfortable that he fell asleep instead, curling on the covers with a hand under the white pillow.

Merlin came to awareness of his surroundings a few hours later; he heard someone move around the room, muttering under his breath something about a disobedient manservant and being ridiculously attractive when he slept.

Merlin broke into a smile, eyes still closed; reassured that Arthur was back. And then it fully registered with him what that meant - oh he was back.

Merlin tensed slightly, evened his breath out and kept his eyes closed, hoping Arthur wouldn’t notice him awake; not that moment at least. He was not ready for a confrontation – still sleepy and sated from the sexy dream and Arthur could bolt.

But the shuffling stopped; for a heartbeat or two it was completely silent until a sigh followed. Merlin thought Arthur figured it out and he was about to open his eyes and roll on his back and –

“Silly man,” Arthur muttered and the footsteps grew nearer. Merlin didn’t dare to move, not now. The bed dipped and a hand came up to Merlin’s face for a caress and just as quickly fell away. “What am I doing?”

Merlin didn’t want to hide anymore, his heart beating impossibly loud in his chest, so he reached out, his eyes flying open and grabbed the first thing of Arthur he could. It turned out to be his red shirt.

Arthur froze, aborting his motion of getting up, and looked at Merlin, slightly wide-eyed and really damn handsome nonetheless.

“Merlin, wha –”

“Stay,” Merlin croaked, tugging on Arthur’s shirt.

“Do you realize that you’re sleeping in my bed, Merlin?” Arthur tried to get out of his grip, but it was a weak attempt. Merlin knew it in the way Arthur didn’t even bother to use his hands for help.

“Stay with me,” Merlin said more forcefully and this time pulled Arthur on top of him. He marvelled at all the ways they fit so easily against each other and why hadn’t he done this earlier until Arthur started to struggle to get up.

“Oh for God’s –” But Arthur didn’t get to finish his sentence because he was cut off by Merlin’s lips on his.

He froze and Merlin broke their contact, but just barely, breathing puffs of air on his face. He looked straight in Arthur’s eyes, sincere and open. “I love you too, okay?”

It took Arthur about a few seconds to sink in that Merlin had said something at all, because those eyes – those blue, blue eyes -

And when Arthur fully understood that his feelings weren’t as one-sided as he thought, he broke out in a brilliant smile, everything around him now seemingly warm and bright with Merlin, willing, underneath him. “Oh, okay.”

Merlin kissed him again, tangling their legs together and bringing their tongues into play. Arthur moaned, low and deep in his throat and broke the kiss to trail wet kisses along Merlin’s jaw and down his exposed neck. “You. Have. No. Idea,” he punctuated each word with a kiss, loving the sounds Merlin made. “How I’ve wanted to do naughty things to you. With you.”

“I might have an idea.” Merlin sounded breathy and full of desire; Arthur shivered in delight as he thought of doing all the things he had imagined with Merlin – actually do them. He couldn’t wait.

“No time like the present, then,” Arthur murmured against Merlin lips, hands on each side of his face.

“Mm, prince, you’ve the best of ideas,” Merlin smiled once they broke apart, eyes half-lidded and mischievous.

Arthur kissed him again just because of the look on his face and because he could.


End file.
